Special Sandwich

We love this sandwich that I believe Jason and Stefanie introduced to us but they deny it! So I’ll claim it as one to share! We use to make this fancy dressing and then I discovered Brianna’s tasted just as good and was quicker!

Materials:

1-Yellow Squash

1-Zucchini

1 loaf Italian bread

4 slices provolone cheese

1/3lb Deli chicken/turkey breast

1 tomato sliced

Brianna’s Poppy Seed Dressing

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. Place 1 TBS of oil in a frying pan.
3. Slice zucchini and squash into small slices.
4. Cook the zucchini and squash on low in the frying pan until they are tender.
5. Cut Italian loaf in half.
6. Place 4 slices of provolone cheese on one side of the bread.
7. Place both sides of the bread in oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  
8. Remove from oven and place zucchini, 4 slices of tomato and chicken or turkey on the sandwich and place in the oven for another 3-5 minutes until bread begins to brown very lightly.
9. Remove from oven and add Brianna’s dressing to the sandwich (it soaks into the bread but you can always add more after your first bite. 
10. Put the top on the sandwich and Enjoy! 

Russian Chicken

Most of you have probably had this but its one of Robbie’s favorites and its super easy if you can find the right Russian dressing! 

Materials:

2 small or 1 large bottle of wishbone Russian Dressing

1 small jar of apricot preserves

1 packet of lipton onion soup mix

3-4 chicken breasts frozen

Rice

Instructions:

1. Place chicken breasts, Russian Dressing, Apricot Preserves and Lipton Onion Soup in the crockpot.
2. Cook on low 3 hours (The sauce will burn if you cook this for too long)You just want to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.
3. Shred or cut the chicken.
4. Serve over rice.

Vegetarian Taco Salad or Salad Wraps

Materials:

1 Can Pinto Beans

Lettuce

2-3 Tomatoes

Small bag of Corn chips (fritos or generic are fine!)

Cheddar cheese

2 Avocado

Tortillas (for wraps)

Instructions: 

This can either be a fancy layered salad in a clear glass bowl (if you are looking to impress) or a “taco style make your own” dinner- so I’ll address that one!

1. Rinse the Pinto Beans and place in a bowl
2. Cut tomatoes and place in a bowl 
3. Place corn chips in a bowl.
4. Place cheddar cheese in a bowl
5. Chop the lettuce and place it in a bowl
6. Chop or mash the avocados- we usually chop if we are making it fancy but we like to do a more mushy consistency to use as a spread on tortillas since this doesn’t call for any other sauce.
7. If you are making tacos place a small amount of beans and cheese on the tortillas and melt in the microwave.
8. Throw everything inside (including the chips for an added crunch) and spread some avocado on the sides and enjoy!  We love this meal. Its pretty fresh and simple!

Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
•  2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
•   1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
•  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•  3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
•  1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
• 1 cup white quinoa
•  2 cups chicken stock (can use broth) (use vegetarian stock/broth to keep this vegetarian)
•  1 cup frozen corn
•  1 can (15.5 ounces) chili beans in mild sauce
•  1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
•  1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
•  Optional toppings: fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, sour cream, cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron pot over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add in the (peeled and chopped) sweet potatoes.
• Cook until quite tender, around 7-9 minutes. Add in the chili powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir for 1 minute or until fragrant.
• Thoroughly rinse the quinoa. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the quinoa to the hot skillet, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
• Return to the heat and add in the stock/broth, the frozen corn, undrained chili beans, black beans and undrained diced tomatoes.
• Stir everything well and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pot.
• Allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. The time will vary, depending on the heat of your stove. For best results, check it every 3-5 minutes and give it a good stir at each check to avoid burning or sticking to the bottom.
• Once the liquid is mostly absorbed, remove from the heat. Season to taste with any additional salt/pepper as needed. I like to add a few tablespoons of lime juice here.
• Add your favorite toppings to individual bowls. We top ours with a good handful of freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese, another squeeze of lime, a good dollop of sour cream and some chopped cilantro. Don't forget the toppings; they add a lot!

 

 

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White Chicken Black Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium)
• 15 ounce can diced tomatoes or petite diced tomatoes
• 4.5 ounce can green chiles
• 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 ounce can Great Northern/white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk (trust me on this one; see note below)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large or 3 medium)
• 8 ounce package cream cheese, light or regular, cut into 6-8 pieces
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• Toppings of choice (fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, fresh limes)

Instructions

1. Instant Pot Directions: To the insert of a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot, add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, white beans, dry milk, chili powder, salt, parsley, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dill, and black pepper. Stir or whisk well to combine.
2. Nestle the chicken and cream cheese cubes into the chili (it's ok if it isn't fully submerged). Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, make sure the valve is set to seal, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes (select Manual or Pressure Cook and dial up or down to 15; the IP will start on its own).
3. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure. Remove the chicken to a cutting board or plate and shred or cut into small pieces. Stir the chili to incorporate the softened, melty cream cheese.
4. Add the corn and shredded chicken back into the Instant Pot; stir to combine and let sit on warm to heat through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve the chili with toppings of choice!
5. Slow Cooker Directions: To the insert of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, white beans, dry milk, chili powder, salt, parsley, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dill, and black pepper. Stir or whisk well to combine.
6. Nestle the chicken and cream cheese cubes into the chili (it's ok if it isn't fully submerged). Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
7. Remove the chicken to a cutting board or plate and shred or cut into small pieces. Stir the chili to incorporate the softened, melty cream cheese.
8. Add the corn and shredded chicken back into the slow cooker; stir to combine and let sit on low or high temp to heat through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve the chili with toppings of choice!

Notes

If you don't want to mess with taking out the chicken and shredding, you can cut the chicken into small pieces before adding to the Instant Pot at the beginning (and probably take a few minutes off the cooking time).
I know it seems odd to use dry milk in a chili recipe, but the dry milk (plus a bunch of the other seasonings like parsley, dill, etc) are meant to replicate packaged dry ranch dressing mix. I never have that on hand, so I wanted a quick homemade substitution.
Chili powder brands vary greatly in spicy heat, so reduce the amount in the recipe if the chili powder you use is spicy and/or you want a milder tasting chili.
Once the corn and chicken is stirred into the chili, it can stay on warm (in the Instant Pot or slow cooker) for several hours before serving.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 links Italian sausage (the kind that is uncooked in casings - see note)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 medium zucchini, grated (no need to peel)
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 8-10 ounce package refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini

Instructions

1. Remove the casings by slicing down one side of the sausage and peeling the casing back from the sausage. In a large pot, cook the sausage over medium heat until it starts to brown, using a wooden spoon to crumble as it cooks. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the sausage is cooked through. Drain any excess grease, if needed (alternately, if your sausage is extra lean, you may need to add a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking).
2. Stir in the chicken broth, apple cider, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, oregano, and basil. Bring the soup to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and parsley simmer for 10-12 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until tender (usually only a couple of minutes, even when the packages call for 7-9 minutes cooking time, I only cook the tortellini for 4-5 minutes so it doesn't fall apart). Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Notes

If zucchini isn't in season, you could easily sub chopped spinach or frozen peas here.
Also, if you absolutely can't find apple cider, try apple juice and in a last ditch effort, leave it out (although it does add a delicious hint of unique flavor).
Even in my little town, I have been able to find Italian chicken sausage. It is lean, healthy and delicious. You want to look for sausage that is in a casing and is uncooked.

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 7 hours

Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 (14-ounce each) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups fat free or regular half-and-half, lightly warmed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Croutons for serving

Instructions

1. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, oregano, basil, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the vegetables are tender.
2. About 45 minutes before serving, melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, about 3 minutes. The mixture will be crumbly, but that's ok.
3. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in 1 cup (or a ladleful) of the hot soup from the slow cooker. Whisk until smooth and bubbly. Add another cup or ladleful and stir again until smooth. Add another cup or two and stir until smooth.
4. Stir the creamy, hot mixture back into the slow cooker. Add the Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, salt and pepper, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
5. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes until ready to serve (at this point, you can blend for smoother texture, if desired). Serve with homemade croutons, if desired (and trust me, you'll want to desire it).

Notes

Note: You can use regular diced tomatoes if you don't have or can't find petite diced, but if you have the option, go for the petite diced. The smaller size of the tomatoes meshes better with the finely diced vegetables.